“The Notturno [in G major] is really a chamber work for two violins, a viola, two cellos, oboe (or flute), bassoon, and horn — heard here in a nonet version with a double bass. It opens with a charming ‘Andantino amoroso ma non largo’ in an ABA form, marked with Boccherini’s pleas for grace — such as ‘con grazia’ and ‘dolcissimo e teneramente’. The work continues with a minuet with ‘reversed’ harmonies, beginning on an extended dominant seventh and resolving to the tonic. A trio and a ‘minore’ section are interspersed with the main body of the minuet in true 18th-century fashion. The finale is an ‘Allegro vivo’ in sonata form. It opens softly and then bursts out with a zest that carries through the movement. After a curious series of dotted chords that reach into the flat keys before a short pause, Boccherini leads the listener back into the merry chase in a manner worthy of Haydn at his best. The movement ends with no warning, in just the delightful spirit in which it began.” – David Montgomery